Organic practices increases mango yield in Thottiyapatty, SEVAI- FdnF Watershed-Project.

Mangos yeild in Thottiyapatty watershed area

Thottiyapatty SEVAI Watershed, once a fallow land after watershed implementation of FdnF, assistance the Mango trees cultivated in this Thottiyapatty watershed respond well to organic manure applications such as vermicompost, panchagavya and vermiwash are used for promoting healthy tree growth and fruit formation. SEVAI and watershed team of Thottiayapatty closely monitor the follow up this watershed implemention, and the farmers those are trained in organic farming in Thottiyapatty village near Trichy understood the essential nutrients needed for Mango cultivation. During the watershed project initiation, the initial planting stages to caring of full-grown trees, Panchagavya and vermicompost were effectively used to supply essential nutrients to the trees and prevent pest infestations, according to K.Devendran, Vermi technologist in SEVAI, Trichy. Vermicompost is prepared by using earthworms. Vermiwash is the liquid collected after the passage of water through a column of activated earthworms. It is very useful as an organic spray for all crops. As Pest repellent, Panchagavya an organic growth promoter, which is prepared by mixing cow dung, cow urine, cow's milk, curd and ghee in suitable proportions, and is sprayed on the plants. It contains several macro, micronutrients, beneficial bacteria and fungi, which aid in growth promotion and act as effective pest repellents. It is prepared by thoroughly mixing five kilos of fresh cow dung and one litre of cow's ghee in a earthen pot. The mixture is stirred daily for three to four days."About three litres of cow's milk, two litres of cow's curd, three litres of sugarcane juice, three litres of tender coconut water and 10 to12 bananas are mixed well and added to the mixture. The entire concoction is allowed to ferment for fifteen days," said K.Devendran.

The container is covered with a cotton cloth to allow aeration of the fermenting unit, according to him. The concoction is stirred two or three times a day for about fifteen days and then used. For mango trees of about 5-6years age, vermicompost has b been applied at the rate of 10 kilograms per tree and one litre of panchagavya diluted in 30 litres of water is sprayed over the foliage and at the base of the tree. Spraying Panchagavya over the crown and at the base of the tree must be done four to five times. The first spraying was done before the flowering season (January-March) to increase flower formation. A second spraying was done after 15-20 days. The process was repeated till the flowers turn into small sized buds. Once the buds start forming then the application was done once a month. Use of Panchagavya and vermicompost has been found to increase the size, number and enhance the colour of the fruits. The project promoter K.Devendran said “The recommended practice for one hectare of mango trees is about 25 litres of panchagavya (mixed in 750-800 litres of water) and four to five tonnes of vermicompost. Spraying panchagavya has been found effective in the control of fruit fly menace, a common infestation in all fruit bearing trees”. According to him, trees treated with organic manures bore large sized leaves and formed a dense canopy with profuse rooting systems. The taste and shelf life of the fruits were also found to be more satisfactory. "The interaction of the root hairs of these trees with the organic manures also increased the activity of the nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil. "The organic manures also act as a carrier medium for the development of several beneficial micro organisms such as azospirillum, azotobacter, rhizobium and phosphobacteria," K.Devendran said. Neelam, one of the mango varieties, does well under organic farming in  Tamil Nadu, and its full potential has been exploited by the small and marginal farmers of watershed of Thottiyapatty.Farnmers of Thottiyapatty Watershed has successfully demonstrated the cultivation  by the superior mango variety `Neelam'. This variety is suited for high density planting, and it will make up for the low yields in the initial few years of bearing. "During the first five years Daincha was raised as rain fed crop, and ploughed in situ as an organic nutrient supplement.

Groundnut was grown as an irrigated crop in the interspaces, and haulms were incorporated in to the soil as green leaf manure. The qualities of the fruits were of superior quality, and they were sweet and free of spongy tissues. The results were quite encouraging," says K.Devendran. The trees yield as high as 3000 kg from the 1 hectare from the sixth year of planting, and it handsome fetch a handsome profit to the growing watershed farmers of FdnF supported Thottiyapatty watershed. As the tree grows, the yield will go up, and a thirty year-old tree would produce as much as 2500 quality fruits, according to him. Thottiyapatty has perfected the organic farming practices for raising mango, and the farmers benefit from it. Thottiyapatty Farmers avoid using chemical fertilizers and fruiting hormones to get quick returns from the variety, as they may prove harmful in the long run, K.Devendran says "Neelam is an excellent variety grown organically, its value in the t market goes up significantly”-Govin